Evolution Of Magnetic Properties Research Articles

Thickness Dependent Magnetic Transition in Few Layer 1T Phase CrTe2.

Room temperature two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetism is highly desired in practical spintronics applications. Recently, 1T phase CrTe2 (1T-CrTe2) nanosheets with 5 and thicker layers have been successfully synthesized, which all exhibit the properties of ferromagnetic (FM) metals with Curie temperatures around 305 K. However, whether the ferromagnetism therein can be maintained when continuously reducing the nanosheet's thickness to monolayer limit remains unknown. Here, through first-principles calculations, we explore the evolution of magnetic properties of 1 to 6 layer CrTe2 nanosheets and several interesting points are found: First, unexpectedly, monolayer CrTe2 prefers a zigzag antiferromagnetic (AFM) state with its energy much lower than that of FM state. Second, in 2 to 4 layer CrTe2, both the intralayer and interlayer magnetic coupling are AFM. Last, when the number of layers is equal to or greater than 5, the intralayer and interlayer magnetic coupling become FM. Such highly thickness dependent magnetism provides a new perspective to control the magnetic properties of 2D materials.

Fractal polymer islands on top of ferromagnetic La2Ni0.6Mn1.4O6 thin films

The formation of the crystalline organic polymer (OP) islands on top of double perovskite ferromagnetic La2Ni1–xMn1+xO6 (x = 0.4) thin films by RF sputtering is reported. The presence of randomly ramified organic polymer islands for film grown on top of SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 substrates suggest the fractal growth. The stability of fractal OP islands is tested by an in-situ oxygen annealing process as function of the annealing temperature. The evolution of the fractal structure of OP islands is followed in parallel with the evolution of structural and magnetic properties of LNMO thin films. The modification of the manganese valence state due to the presence of organic polymer fractals is studied by means of X-ray photoemission microscopy.

Impact of Thermal Oxidation on Morphological, Structural and Magnetic Properties of Fe-Ni Wire-Like Nanochains

This work presents the evolution of morphological, structural and magnetic properties of amorphous Fe-Ni wire-like nanochains caused by thermal oxidation. The initial Fe1−xNix samples (x = 0.75; 0.50; 0.25) were prepared through the magnetic-field-induced synthesis, and then they were heated in dry air at 400 °C and 500 °C. These treatments led to two competing simultaneous processes occurring in the investigated samples, i.e., (i) a conversion of amorphous material into crystalline material, and (ii) their oxidation. Both of them strictly affected the morphological and structural properties of the Fe-Ni nanochains which, in turn, were associated with the amount of iron in material. It was found that the Fe0.75Ni0.25 and Fe0.50Ni0.50 nanochains were covered during thermal treatment by the nanoparticle oxides. This coverage did not constitute a good barrier against oxidation, and these samples became more oxidized than the Fe0.25Ni0.75 sample which was covered by oxide nanosheets and contained additional Ni3B phase. The specific morphological evolutions of the Fe-Ni nanochains also influenced their saturation magnetizations, whereas their coercivities did not vary significantly. The obtained results constitute an important source of information for future application of the thermally treated Fe-Ni nanochains which could be applied in the energy storage devices or catalysis.

Advanced First-Principle Modeling of Relativistic Ruddlesden—Popper Strontium Iridates

In this review, we provide a survey of the application of advanced first-principle methods on the theoretical modeling and understanding of novel electronic, optical, and magnetic properties of the spin-orbit coupled Ruddlesden–Popper series of iridates Srn+1IrnO3n+1 (n = 1, 2, and ∞). After a brief description of the basic aspects of the adopted methods (noncollinear local spin density approximation plus an on-site Coulomb interaction (LSDA+U), constrained random phase approximation (cRPA), GW, and Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE)), we present and discuss select results. We show that a detailed phase diagrams of the metal–insulator transition and magnetic phase transition can be constructed by inspecting the evolution of electronic and magnetic properties as a function of Hubbard U, spin–orbit coupling (SOC) strength, and dimensionality n, which provide clear evidence for the crucial role played by SOC and U in establishing a relativistic (Dirac) Mott–Hubbard insulating state in Sr2IrO4 and Sr3Ir2O7. To characterize the ground-state phases, we quantify the most relevant energy scales fully ab initio—crystal field energy, Hubbard U, and SOC constant of three compounds—and discuss the quasiparticle band structures in detail by comparing GW and LSDA+U data. We examine the different magnetic ground states of structurally similar n = 1 and n = 2 compounds and clarify that the origin of the in-plane canted antiferromagnetic (AFM) state of Sr2IrO4 arises from competition between isotropic exchange and Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya (DM) interactions whereas the collinear AFM state of Sr3Ir2O7 is due to strong interlayer magnetic coupling. Finally, we report the dimensionality controlled metal–insulator transition across the series by computing their optical transitions and conductivity spectra at the GW+BSE level from the the quasi two-dimensional insulating n = 1 and 2 phases to the three-dimensional metallic n=∞ phase.

Evolution of structural and magnetic properties of Ar2+ ion irradiated TiO2 thin films annealed under argon atmosphere

In this report, the evolution of structural as well as magnetic state of 900 °C annealed TiO2 films under argon (Ar) environment have been examined before and after irradiating with the Ar2+ ions of energy 500 keV. The pristine film stabilized with Magneli phase (Ti4O7), the film retains its crystallinity but phase get transformed to anatase TiO2, irradiating with the lowest fluence, 1 × 1014 ions/cm2. After rising up to 5 × 1016 ions/cm2 ion fluence, film again stabilize with the Magneli phase (Ti4O7). In the previous report, we have demonstrated an unusual phase change from anatase TiO2 to brookite, where films are annealed in O2 atmosphere. In contrast to that here we have obtained TiO2 from Ti4O7 at lowest fluence but at highest fluence again Ti4O7 is obtained. The energy deposited by the ion beam passed to the lattice and collision cascades are formed which brings atomic displacement in the lattice, results the structural transformation. Surface topography is not affected much after the irradiation as observed from atomic force microscopy (AFM). Interesting, ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature stems in all the films as a consequence of the controlled introduction of anionic defects (oxygen vacancies).

Impact of the heat treatment conditions on crystal structure, morphology and magnetic properties evolution in BaM nanohexaferrites

Present paper reports about the strong correlation of the heat treatment conditions (annealing), crystal structure parameters, microstructure and magnetic properties evolution in nanosized BaFe12O19 M-type hexaferrites or BaM nanohexaferrites. Samples of the BaM nanohexaferrites were obtained using sol-gel method with further annealing in the range 600–1100 °C. All investigated samples were single phase and described by the P63/mmc space group. Unusual and non-linear behavior of the lattice parameters with annealing temperature increasing from 600 to 1100 °C was explained by the competition of the increase in the average crystallite size (decrease in the surface tension effect) and increase in the level of their chemical homogeneity (anionic stoichiometry). Increase of the heat treatment temperature leads to increase of the microstructure parameters (average crystal size and specific surface area) and non-linear changes in magnetic properties. Correlation of the annealing temperature and magnetic properties was discussed in terms of the structural features.

Evolution of structure and magnetic properties in MnZn ferrite-silica nanocomposites fabricated by sol–gel method

We explore the influence of the silica matrix on size, spinel phase stability, and magnetic properties of MnZn ferrite. For this purpose, Mn0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4 (MZF) nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed in silica (SiO2) matrix [MZF1−x/(SiO2)x x = 0, 10, 30%] synthesized by one-pot sol–gel process. The evolution of a pure spinel phase is apparent from the as-prepared (AP) MZF/SiO2 (30%) amorphous state on annealing in the temperature range 600–900 °C in air, whereas the AP free-standing MZF NPs exhibit a secondary phase of α-Fe2O3 along with spinel structure in this temperature range. The crystallite size is 5 ± 1 nm for a 600 °C annealed sample and increases to 10 ± 1 nm for a 900 °C annealed sample. From the detailed analysis of the temperature and magnetic field-dependent magnetization data, it is found that the AP sample exhibits weak magnetic behavior. However, annealed samples exhibit a maximum in zero-field-cooled magnetization at a certain temperature (TP), which increases with the increase of annealing temperature. The M–H curves above TP indicate the presence of superparamagnetic (SPM)-like behavior. From the present study, we show that the phase stability and magnetic properties of MZF/SiO2 composites have improved compared to bare MZF NPs.

Microstructure, Magnetic and Mössbauer Studies of Mechanically Alloyed FeCoNi Nanocrystalline Powders

Magnetic structures have attracted a great interest due to their multiple applications, from physics to biomedicine. Iron, nickel and cobalt are among the most important ferromagnetic elements, therefore the synthesis of Fe-based alloys processed by ball milling from the Fe, Ni and Co powders is of particular interest. This subject mainly concerned the structural and magnetic properties evolution of Fe50Co25Ni25 nanocrystalline powder mixture prepared by mechanical alloying in a high-energy planetary ball mill under argon atmosphere. For extended milling time of 100 h, two nanocrystalline Fe (Co,Ni) (∼ 87 nm) and fcc-Co-rich (∼ 47 nm) phases were identified. This phase transformations, dependent on the alloying time, are related to the increase in dislocations and accumulation of stacking faults. Dislocation density of 1.25 × 1015 m−2 is estimated after 100 h of milling. The milled FeCoNi alloy displays a soft ferromagnetic behavior with single magnetic domain (Hc ∼ 12.5 Oe and Mr/Ms ∼ 0.007 for 100 h milling). Mossbauer analysis gives three main magnetic components: two different components attributed to metallic Fe species located in bcc and fcc Fe–Co–Ni domains and a magnetic component characterized by larger hyperfine fields and isomer shifts typical of Fe3+, Fe2+ species and Fe ions.

Magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect in Dy100-xYx solid solutions

Dysprosium possesses the highest magnetic moment among the rare-earth elements and undergoes a second-order magnetic phase transition to a complex helical antiferromagnetic ordering at Néel temperature TN = 180 K which is followed by a transformation to the ferromagnetic ordering at a lower temperature. Superior magnetic properties and tunability of the magnetic phase transition temperatures make Dy and its solid solutions perspective for the use in technology of magnetic refrigeration at cryogenic temperatures, specifically for the liquefaction of natural gases. In this work we report on the evolution of magnetic properties in solid solutions of Dy100-xYx (x = 0 – 15). It was found that the dilution of Dy magnetic subsystem by a non-magnetic Y has rather a weak impact on the magnetization saturation, which decreases from Ms ∼280 A⋅m2/kg in the x = 0 sample to Ms ∼259 A⋅m2/kg in the x = 15 sample. As a consequence, the isothermal magnetic entropy change was found to decrease slightly in the series of Dy100-xYx (x = 0 – 15) solid solutions.

Monte Carlo simulation to study the effect of molecular spin state on the spatio-temporal evolution of equilibrium magnetic properties of magnetic tunnel junction based molecular spintronics devices

With a variable spin state, paramagnetic molecules can affect the impact of magnetic exchange coupling strength between two ferromagnetic electrodes. Our magnetic tunnel junction based molecular spintronics devices (MTJMSD) were successful in connecting paramagnetic single molecular magnet (SMM) between two ferromagnetic electrodes. Isolated SMM exhibited a wide range of spin states. However, it was extremely challenging to identify the SMM spin state when connected to the ferromagnetic electrodes. Our prior experimental and Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS) studies showed that paramagnetic molecules produced unprecedented strong antiferromagnetic coupling between two ferromagnets at room temperature. The overall antiferromagnetic coupling occurred when a paramagnetic SMM made antiferromagnetic coupling to the first electrode and ferromagnetic coupling to the second ferromagnetic electrode. This paper studies the impact of variable molecular spin states of the SMMs, producing strong antiferromagnetic coupling between the ferromagnetic electrodes of MTJMSD. The MTJMSD used in this study was represented by an 11 x 50 x 50 Ising model, with 11 being the thickness of the MTJMSD and 5 x 10 x 50 being each electrode’s size. We employed a continuous MCS algorithm to investigate SMM’s spin state’s impact as a function of molecular exchange coupling strength and thermal energy.

Evolution of microstructure, defect, optoelectronic and magnetic properties of Cu1-xCaxFeO2 ceramics

Microstructures, defect characteristics, optoelectronic, and magnetic properties of polycrystalline delafossite Cu1-xCaxFeO2 (x = 0.00–0.08) samples have been systemically investigated. Our investigation results distinctly show that divalent Ca2+ ions can successfully substitute partial Cu+ ions and prompt the grain size and induce the partial Fe3+ valence variation to Fe2+. The positron annihilation lifetime spectra signifies that the cation vacancy clusters exist in all samples, the size and concentration of vacancy defects are redistributed with increasing Ca2+ ions content, while the overall defect environment of CuFeO2 system is not changed. The Hall-effect measurement results indicate the transition of semiconductor type from p-type to n-type. The UV–Visible absorption spectroscopy results indicate that the calculated band gap of the prepared samples is estimated to be 3.42–3.58 eV, indicating the series can be applied to the transparent conductive oxide materials. The magnetic measurements reveal that the transition temperature TN1 and TN2 are independent of Ca2+ content x, while the coexistence of antiferromagnetism and weak ferromagnetism for all the doped samples are observed. A moderate Ca2+ content, i.e. x = 0.02, can distinctly promote weak ferromagnetism. The above internal mechanism is probably relevant to the evolution of lattice structure and defect characteristics caused by Ca2+ ions doping.

Thickness dependent magnetic properties of ferromagnetic films (Fe, Co) interfaced with Ta

In the present work, magnetic properties of ferromagnetic films viz. Co and Fe interfaced with Ta have been studied using magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE), X-ray reflectivity (XRR) and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (SXAS) on wedge shaped samples. Thickness of ferromagnetic film at different points of wedge sample as determined from XRR were employed to study the evolution of magnetic properties with increasing film thickness using MOKE measurements. Co film exhibits a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy on Ta which varies as a function of increasing film thickness, while no thickness dependent magnetic anisotropy has been observed for Fe film grown on Ta. The variation of coercivity with increasing film thickness is in agreement with the observed variation of magnetic anisotropy. SXAS measurements qualitatively support alloying / intermixing at interface. Thicknesses of interfacial magnetic dead layer as seen from variation of Kerr intensity with film thickness is relatively higher for Co as compared to Fe, while interfaced with Ta.

Effects of annealing on phase structure and magnetic characteristics of sputter deposited Ni2FeGa/Si (100) thin films

This paper investigates the effects of post-deposition annealing on the evolution of phase structure and magnetic properties of magnetron sputtered Ni2FeGa/Si (001) thin films. The results revealed that the as-deposited film was partially crystallized in an fcc structure, i.e. [Formula: see text] phase. Crystallization of the amorphous structure into the [Formula: see text] phase was greatly encouraged following annealing at 723 K for 1 h. Annealing at higher temperatures for the same period triggered the formation of the bcc austenitic phase, which competed with the [Formula: see text] phase simultaneously for crystallization and grain growth. The evolution of phase structure and grain size also influenced the nanomechanical properties of the films according to the nanoindentation measurement. The film annealed at 873 K for 1 h showed high hardness and elastic modulus values of 11.1 GPa and 156 GPa. The [Formula: see text] phase showed stronger ferromagnetic characteristics relative to the bcc austenite due to the richer Fe content. This leads to the saturation magnetization to be maximized at 80 emu/g when annealed at 773 K for 1 h attributed to the enhanced film crystallinity and dominant volume fraction of [Formula: see text] phase in the thin film.

Heat treatment effect on the evolution of magnetic properties of martensite in magnetic shape memory Ni48Mn39.5Sn9.5Al3 Heusler alloy ribbons

The magnetic ground state of martensite in Ni48Mn39.5Sn9.5Al3 ribbons shows considerable complexity and a two stage behavior. Initially, below the blocking temperature it evolves from a superparamagnetic state into a frozen state with a strong ferromagnetic component and it manifests some spin glass like characteristics. The ferromagnetic component is sensitive to thermal treatment, what stems from its susceptibility to variation in the retained ferromagnetic austenite fraction, change in the degree of order as well as the density of ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic domain interfaces. At temperatures below 80 K, a divergence from linear correspondence to the Almeida-Thouless law signifies that the system enters into a magnetically harder and inhomogeneous state distinguished by exchange bias.

Evolution of structural, magnetic, and electrical transport properties in Ru-doped pyrochlore iridate Eu2Ir2O7

We report the evolution of crystal structural, magnetic, and electrical transport properties in the iridates Eu2Ir2−xRuxO7 (x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5). Powder X-ray diffraction measurement indicates the prepared polycrystalline samples retain the cubic pyrochlore-type structure. The evolution of magnetism has been studied using dc magnetic susceptibilities. Although the magnetic irreversibility temperature changes marginally, the magnetic moment increases with progressive Ru doping. A distinct metal-insulator transition is observed for Eu2Ir2−xRuxO7 series. The nature of electronic conduction in the low temperature insulating state has been found to follow a power law behavior. Interestingly, we found the resistivity increases with Ru doping in Eu2Ir2−xRuxO7. The results may be ascribed to increased electronic correlation and Ir/Ru substitutional disorder, which interrupt direct Ir–Ir hopping in the samples.

Tailoring mechanical and magnetic properties of AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy via phase transformation

Phase constitutions, either changed by alloying or by phase transformation, are the key factors to determine the magnetic and mechanical performances of high-entropy alloys (HEAs). Using the AlCoCrFeNi HEA as a candidate alloy, this paper demonstrates the effect of phase transformation on both the mechanical and magnetic properties in the multi-phase system. With increasing heat treatment temperature, the sigma (σ) and face-centered-cubic (FCC) phases disappeared at 1000 °C and 1200 °C, respectively. Such volume fraction changes of σ, FCC and body-centered-cubic (BCC) phases have divergent effects on mechanical and magnetic properties. The excellent strength-ductility combination will be achieved as the disappearance of σ phase and formation of FCC phase. As for the magnetic properties, the volume fraction of BCC phase plays a major role in determining its saturation magnetization. When the volume fraction change of BCC phase is not evident, the higher volume fraction of FCC phase will influence its magnetization at 2 T. Our present work might provide insights into analyzing the evolution of both mechanical and magnetic properties of HEAs caused by complex phase transformation.

Amorphization of thin supermalloy films Ni79Fe17Mo4 with oxygen during magnetron sputtering

Reactive sputtering of permalloy typically reduces crystallite size in films, if the concentration of reactive gas is low. This advances magnetic properties: decreases coercivity and increases good in-plane magnetic anisotropy. But oxygen is rarely applied for this purpose. Here, peculiar deposition conditions, including the geometry of the vacuum deposition system and large polymer substrate, allowed for the deposition of supermalloy with unusually high admixture of oxygen. Evolution of both static and dynamic magnetic properties with an increase in oxygen concentration proved to be dealt with the balance between grain size, surface structure, disordering of atomic structure and internal stresses. The critical concentration when supermalloy shows indications of oxidation is 5% of O2. Coercivity, resistivity, roughness and ferromagnetic resonance frequency are the parameters that are most sensitive to oxidation.

Evolutions of microstructure and magnetic properties of heatproof domain-refined silicon steel during annealing and its application

Heatproof domain-refined grain-oriented (DRGO) silicon steel is an ideal material for the manufacture of S15-type ultra-high efficiency transformer with three-dimensional wound-core (TDWC). In this paper, the microstructure, grain orientation, and magnetic performance of 23ZDMH80 heatproof silicon steel during stress-relief annealing were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) techniques. Based on heatproof DRGO steel, the Epstein-SST (single sheet tester) conversion factor and equivalent magnetic path length were calculated, and then an ultra-high energy efficiency transformer was developed. Results show that, the average size of micrograins in notched region increased from 42.3 μm to 68.2 μm after annealing at 850 ℃ for 0–8 h. The orientations of micrograins grown on large-size Goss grain included not only the non-〈0 0 1〉 orientations, such as {210} 〈−241〉, {215} < 1–20>, and {1 1 0} < 1–12}, which were harmful to the magnetic properties, but also the favorable {1 0 0} 〈0 0 1〉 and Goss. Correspondingly, the core loss of 5 pairs of Epstein specimens first decreased then increased slowly (the growth rates below 1.2%) during annealing. The Epstein-SST conversion factor δP for 23ZDMH80 heatproof steel was 8.6% (higher than 5.0% the value recommended by IEC standard), and the equivalent magnetic path length was 0.489 m. Finally, the developed 10 kV/400 kVA transformer with TDWC presented ultra low no-load loss of 289 W, load loss of 3072 W, and noise of 35.4 dB, it means significant advantage of energy conservation and environmental protection.

Evolution of structural and magnetic properties in iron oxide nanoparticles synthesized using Azadirachta indica leaf extract

The novel superparamagnetic nature of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has received significant attention in the wide variety of fields. However, the prerequisites to use these MNPs, particularly in biomedical applications are biocompatibility and high saturation magnetization (Ms). Thus, the development of a sustainable approach for the synthesis of biocompatible MNPs, which utilizes the redox properties of natural compounds from plant extracts, is highly desired. Herein, we have examined the growth of phase selective MNPs synthesized using Azadirachta indica (Neem) extract as a reducing and capping agent. The physical and biological properties of MNPs synthesized with the modified green hydrothermal method at different reaction times and temperatures were investigated. It was observed that the reaction time and temperature strongly modulated the magnetic and structural characteristics of MNPs. At lower reaction time and temperature of 200 °C for 2 h, primarily iron oxalate hydrate (Fe(C2O4).2(H2O)) was formed. Further, with increasing reaction temperature, the phase transformation from iron oxalate hydrate to pure magnetite (Fe3O4) phase was observed. The MNPs prepared with optimum conditions of 220 °C for 4 h show superparamagnetic nature with improved Ms value of 58 emu g−1. The antibacterial study of MNPs against gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus showed that the MNPs inhibits the growth of bacteria with the least inhibitory MNPs concentration of 6 μl. Thus, the MNPs obtained by this modified biogenic approach will widen the scope and their applicability in future biomedical applications.

Uneven Evolution of Microstructure, Magnetic Properties and Coercivity Mechanism of Mo-Substituted Nd–Ce–Fe–B Alloys

The purpose of this paper is to study the influence of Mo addition on the phase morphologies, microstructures and magnetic properties of the designated alloys. It is found out that the coercivity Hcj increases unevenly from 12.2 kOe for (Nd0.8Ce0.2)13Fe82B5 to the maximum value of 13.3 kOe for (Nd0.8Ce0.2)13Fe80B5Mo2. The transmission electron microscopy images demonstrate that the grain size decreases with the addition of Mo, which indicates that Mo has grain refinement effect. The correlative analysis gives rise to the conclusion that the coercivity mechanism of the investigated alloys is dominated by pinning type. All in all, the enhancement of the magnetic properties is mainly attributed to the synergistic impact of grain refinement, pinning effects and the microstructural homogenization. The research may shed light on the potential development and application of rare earth-based counterpart magnets.